Olive the Sea Dog

I am always looking for activities that Olive and I can share together. Few museums allow dogs; the Mystic Seaport in southeastern Connecticut does allow dogs on the grounds (though not in buildings or on the ships).

Mystic Seaport is a recreated 1840s era whaling port. That portion of Connecticut (New London County) was a major whaling center, especially the city of New London, for a time America's second largest whaling port (after New Bedford). Today New London County hosts the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and America's largest submarine base. The Mystic Seaport complex includes historic buildings relocated there from around New England, some new buildings constructed to house various exhibits, and a few old ships in the water particularly the Charles W. Morgan, thought to be the oldest intact wooden whaling ship in the world. Perhaps most appropriate is a full fledged boatyard construction facility where the Amistad slave ship was recreated, the Morgan was recently overhauled, and the recreated Mayflower (of Pilgrim fame) was repaired. I say appropriate because Mystic Seaport occupies land that was once the celebrated Greenman shipyard, where a number of wooden ships were constructed during the 1800s.

I decided to give Olive a chance to show what kind of sea dog she would have been. I packed her canvas water dish and arranged to meet my friend Laurie (who lives nearby) for lunch at the "Spouter Tavern", an old seaport tavern now a working restaurant within the Seaport that has outdoor seating. When we got there Olive seemed a bit bewildered at all the activity and noise. It was a great day weather-wise for a visit to the Seaport, so there was a significant crowd. Olive got especially excited when a horse-drawn wagon (a standard ride that families seem to enjoy) came by. To calm her down I filled a bottle of water and took her to the shaded pavilion on the "village green" near the center of the complex. It was quieter and cooler there, though many people stopped to pet Olive. She loved the attention.

At the arranged time we met Laurie for lunch. Olive kept looking for something--anything--to get me to toss to her. I let Laurie take her while I ran into a souvenir shop that I remembered had some toys. The best I could find was a foam-rubber lobster. To my surprise they also had dog biscuits, at $2 each. I had forgotten to bring any dog treats, so I bit the bullet and paid for one.

Well, Olive is a Maine Native. Of course she would love the "lobstah".

Service at the tavern was a bit slow, though the sandwiches were large and satisfying. As it would happen, the horse-drawn wagon ride came right by the tavern's outdoor seating area, causing Olive to bark each time it came around.

After lunch we walked around the complex. I took a few photos of Laurie and Olive at an old anchor at the edge of the "village green". The light was a bit harsh so that the photo came out looking as if Olive and Laurie were sitting on sand rather than lush green grass.

Olive and Laurie at an old ship's anchor.

Olive was clearly getting tired, so we bid Mystic farewell and headed home. Food, water, and air conditioning! Doggy heaven!